Fort Worth mayor wants to be certain that existing police force policies are applied
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price on Friday said she wanted to be certain of the enforcement of a range of existing city police policies on force use.
Among the department general orders the mayor referenced are those requiring deescalation, warnings ahead of firing upon a person and mandating the duty to intervene, which generally requires an officer who is aware of another officer’s policy violation to step in. The other procedures are a ban on officers firing at moving vehicles and the use of choke- and strangleholds and a requirement that force align with a continuum.
“To those calling for justice and greater progress, I see you, hear you, and pledge to working alongside the community in our collective efforts to provide equity and justice for our communities of color,” Price wrote in a statement.
Fort Worth police officers shot to death six people in 2019. No civilians have been shot by city officers in 2020.
Price also called for the enhancement of a policy that all alternatives be exhausted before an officer fires a gun. That policy has been drafted and is undergoing final review by the city’s police monitor and police chief.
Comprehensive reporting on the use of force should also occur, Price wrote.
Fort Worth does not have a public database on cases in which a person dies after being shot by an officer. While the police department posts reports on such shootings in accordance with Texas law, that information is not available in a public database.
The reporting policy is being examined by the use of force review board, Price wrote.
The mayor said she was asking for regular updates from an independent third-party expert panel that was assembled in 2019 to review the police department’s training and polices and from the police monitor. “I will ensure these updates are shared with the public,” Price wrote.
This story was originally published June 12, 2020 at 10:11 PM.
